March 29, 2007
BERKELEY - California head field hockey coach Shellie Onstead has been selected to coach for two United States' field hockey national teams. Onstead will be the head coach for the USA U19 Olympic Development Select squad and be an assistant coach for the senior women's national team.
Onstead will travel with the U19 squad to compete in a five-game series against various local clubs in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The U19 team is composed of the top athletes in field hockey's 4800-member Futures Programs. Selected each year at the National Futures Championship, Olympic Development Select and Futures Elite athletes are eligible to participate in a variety of voluntary tour and tournament options designed to steer their knowledge of the game while implementing skills and tactics used by the USA National team.
In May, Onstead will serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. women's national team. The squad will travel to Chile for a four-nation tournament that will prepare the team for this summer's Pan Am Games. The tournament will showcase Chile, Argentina, the United States and Canada. Onstead has spent the last few weeks helping prepare the team at its training site in Chula Vista, Calif.
In addition to Onstead's coaching responsibilities, she also serves as the head coach for the high performance training center in California. The USA Field Hockey High Performance Training Centers are aimed to identify and train potential national team athletes through a comprehensive training/skill enhancement sessions and premier level competitions. There are six centers in the country, allowing athletes to train in regional areas close to their homes.
